


love letters

by scattered_dream



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Childhood Sweethearts, Featuring little kid Prompto, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Growing Up Together, Love Letters, M/M, Slow Romance, and Little kid Noctis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-01-12 09:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18443453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scattered_dream/pseuds/scattered_dream
Summary: Prologue.





	1. when they first met

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Prologue_.

**April 7, 2003**

Prompto met Noctis on the very first day of first grade, on the playground at recess. 

He'd been on the swings, rocking himself gently back and forth and watching some other kids on the pavement just a little ways away hop across a messy chalk outline of hopscotch, crudely scribbled numbers written in pastel colors placed inside each uneven box. He quietly observed a few girls chasing each other around and giggling as they climbed up the menacing orange ladder and slid down the big blue slide with a squeak of their matching tennis shoes. 

The next thing he knew, he was being pushed off of the swing, tumbling onto the gravel that separated the two swing sets from the woodchip-lined area of the playground. He let out a startled yelp and turned around to see who had obtained the swing without asking. 

Prompto figured the tall brown-haired boy (now occupying the swing he'd been on seconds earlier) pointing at him and laughing must have been the one who pushed him, while the other boy sitting on the swing next to him (smaller, with lighter hair) was his friend. He hadn't met them before. 

"This is _my_ swing, stupid!" the taller boy called out to Prompto as he shakily stood up and wiped off his pants, picking at the tiny bits of gravel sticking to his hands. 

Prompto tried hard not to cry, but when he walked away to go sit somewhere else, his lip wobbled and he felt tears fall down his cheeks anyway. He ended up just sitting on the edge of the pavement, where it met the wood-chipped area, far enough away from the kids playing hopscotch that he wouldn't have to talk to other kids for the time being. He was used to being alone anyway.

He had been sitting for less than a minute, stifling his whimpers so that he wouldn't draw attention to himself. He didn't want a teacher to see him crying. 

When he felt someone tap his shoulder, he hastily wiped his tears away, rubbing his eyes underneath his thick, round glasses, still sniffling.

He looked up and saw another boy, this one with messy black hair, wearing a black t-shirt and dark jeans, along with a very cool pair of white sneakers. He didn't recognize him, so he figured he must also be a first grader from a different class. 

"Hi," the boy said seriously, with an almost blank expression on his face. He had a quiet voice that somehow still commanded attention. 

Prompto didn't say anything in reply. He really wanted to say hello but he was afraid he would start crying or whimpering again if he opened his mouth. 

"Can I sit with you?" the kid asked, shuffling his feet against the woodchips. 

Prompto sniffled and wiped at his nose, nodding 'yes' with an awestruck expression on his face. He couldn't believe someone wanted to sit with him! He felt the other boy sit beside him, their knees brushing as he did so. Prompto kept wiping at his nose, resisting the urge to pick it. His mom had told him that picking his nose would make him sick, but it was dripping quite a bit, so he continued to wipe it with the side of his hand instead, hoping that was okay to do. 

The other boy watched him and didn't say anything else for what felt like a really, _really_ long time (though in reality, it was only two minutes or so). 

"Are you okay?" he finally asked, and when Prompto looked over at him, he was surprised to see what looked like sadness in his eyes. Prompto noticed they were blue just like his! Well, not exactly - they were darker, but still! 

"Yeah," he mumbled in response, coughing a little through the phlegm in his throat. 

The kid with the messy black hair frowned at him. "My dad said lying's bad." 

Prompto's eyes widened. "Will I get sick?" he asked, worry obvious both in his tone and upon his face. 

His companion blinked a few times, before shrugging as if that had nothing to do with their discussion. "I don't know," he responded, and kicked at the woodchips below him. "But you're not okay," he stated all-knowingly, frowning at the ground. 

Prompto wiped the last of the wetness on his face away, though the moisture atop his eyelashes and the drying snot above his lip remained. 

"I'm sorry for lying," he apologized sincerely. He felt bad for doing so. 

"What's wrong?" the other boy asked curiously, dark eyebrows raising in question. 

"Someone pushed me. Off the swing," he responded honestly, feeling a little embarrassed now that it was over. Maybe it was stupid to cry over something like that. 

"Who?" his companion asked. 

"It's okay. He said it was his swing so I'll pick a different one next time," Prompto said with a small, sheepish smile. 

"Who?" the boy asked again, though this time a little louder in volume, sounding more like a demand than a question. 

"He's over there," Prompto said and pointed to the bully, who didn't notice them looking over there. He was laughing with his friend as they swung much higher than Prompto ever had. 

The boy who'd been keeping Prompto company clenched his fists and stalked towards them, stomping across the woodchips with purpose, heading to the swing set the bully and his friend occupied while Prompto stood and watched with eyes as wide as two full moons. 

He really hoped he wouldn't push _him_ off the swing, too, because he didn't like violence. He wished everyone could just get along. Physical confrontation was scary. 

To his relief, his new playground buddy seemed to have no intention other than just talking to the brunette, standing with his hands on his hips while he spoke. He must not have been yelling, because Prompto couldn't hear a word that came out of his mouth.

That was probably okay, though. When he'd been talking to Prompto, his voice was pretty quiet, but he found himself still wanting to listen to him. Maybe that was how the bully felt, too. And it seemed none of the teachers would have to step in. Prompto was grateful for that. 

The two friends had slowed their swinging while Prompto's hero talked to them sternly. They weren't going nearly as high anymore - in fact, their shoes were brushing against the gravel as they stopped themselves to listen. 

A beat passed before the black-haired boy turned on his heel and calmly made his way back to Prompto. 

"What did you say?" Prompto asked inquisitively as he stood next to him again. 

"I said 'The boy you pushed off the swing is really nice. He's my best friend and I don't want you to be mean to him. And if you are, I'll hurt you really bad so your face gets messed up and your nose gets bloody,'" he replied with nonchalance and another shrug of his shoulder. 

Now, Prompto didn't like violence, that was true. But the threat that had apparently been thrown at the bully wasn't the part he caught onto. All he _really_ heard - the only words that mattered to him - was the phrase ' _best friend_.'

 _How are we best friends already?_ Prompto wondered. They had just met! 

But he quickly realized he didn't care if it didn't make sense. He smiled widely, showing off a missing tooth on the top row. "Wow!" he exclaimed, delighted that this boy wanted to be (best!) friends with him. 

The kid stared back at him, eyes shifting away from him every once in a while as if he were suddenly nervous to keep eye contact any longer than that. "So what's your name?" he asked, finally holding Prompto's gaze while he waited for an answer. 

Prompto couldn't help it. He started to laugh. 

"What?" the other boy asked, shuffling his feet again and shoving his hands in his pockets. 

"Thank you!" Prompto said cheerfully, throwing himself at the black-haired boy. He hoped he understood what he was thanking him for. 

His new friend wasn't prepared for the enthusiastic hug, so they both stumbled to the ground. Though they'd both let out surprised ' _ahh!_ 's as they started going down, they accepted their fate and landed harshly on the woodchips, bodies overlapping partially and hands lightly scraped. 

They panted for breath as they collected themselves again, pushing up off the ground with renewed energy, inclining to sit upright on top of the woodchips that poked into their butts. They looked over at each other at the same time and Prompto burst into giggles again. It took only a few seconds before his (best!) friend joined him, though his laugh was quieter and slightly lower-pitched, just like his voice. 

They laughed for quite a while as Noctis's teacher looked on with an amused smile. She'd been about to scurry over and ask if they were alright, but neither one of them looked hurt or bothered in the slightest, and she realized it must have been an accident; these boys weren't fighting or pushing each other around. No incidents this recess time (that she knew of, anyway) ... Perhaps it was a sign that this school year would be an especially good one? 

At that moment, the bell rang and kids all around the playground reluctantly put a halt to their games and started to head toward their teacher, being instructed to form a neat line before they could go back inside. The two boys slowly pushed themselves off of the ground and stood up. 

"Who's your teacher?" asked the kid with the cool sneakers. He had some woodchips in his hair. "I'm in Suzuki-san's class." 

Prompto smiled brightly and told him that he had Mr. Ou, pointing to him as they both started walking to their respective lines at a relaxed pace. They were lucky enough that their teachers were right beside one another! 

"That's cool," the boy said with a soft smile. "You didn't tell me your name," he accused, seeming shy all of a sudden as he looked down at the pavement. 

"Boys, we're going in now, let's line up," Ou-san called to them. 

Prompto glanced over at his teacher and saw most of the kids in his class were chattering happily in a single-file line. He whipped his head around again to look at the boy with the messy hair. "I'm Prompto!" he said happily. "But we gotta go in now!" he apologized, starting to turn back to his teacher. 

To his shock, he felt his friend tug at his arm and before he knew what was happening, he'd been pulled into the briefest, most awkward hug he'd ever experienced, while a quiet voice muttered ' _My name's Noctis._ ' 

"Bye, Noctis!" Prompto called as he ran to the back of his class's line. "Let's play at recess tomorrow!" he suggested with enthusiasm as his class began to move back into the school. 

"Yeah," Noctis agreed as he dragged his feet inside the building, hardly keeping up with his own class. 

Prompto waved at his best friend, and as he turned to follow his teacher down an adjacent hallway, Noctis waved back.  


	2. when they took the bus together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _First Grade, Part One_.

The rest of Prompto's first day of school went smoothly, and all the while he couldn’t stop thinking about his new friend. He was so glad he’d met Noctis at recess!

When classes were dismissed at three ’o clock, he thought perhaps he would see him again. As he walked down to the bus stop — about 400 metres out from the school — he looked around to see if he could spot a head of messy black hair and feet clad in snazzy white sneakers, turning his head to and fro as he tried to find Noctis in the crowd of other students heading in the same direction. He didn’t see him anywhere, though, so he just kept walking, slightly disappointed. He eventually got onto the first bus that stopped at the end of the pavement, handing the driver his money that he had all ready to go.

He sat by himself in the very back and stared out the window, watching his school get smaller and smaller as they drove across the winding streets and up a few hills. When it stopped near the end of his neighbourhood, he hurried to collect his randoseru and quickly made his way to the front of the bus, where he thanked the driver cheerfully and then hopped down the steps. 

He ran as fast as his little legs could take him up the hill to his house, excited to tell his mom about his day. He knew she would ask if he had made any friends and he couldn’t wait to tell her about Noctis! 

When he got to the very end of the street and into the cul de sac, he saw his mom waiting outside for him on the front step outside of their house. She smiled at the sight of him and he ran into her arms. The force was almost enough to take them both down (just like he had accidentally done with Noctis at recess!), but she grabbed onto him tightly and laughed while she leaned down to stroke his cheek. 

"How was your first day, Prompto?" she asked kindly, her brown eyes shining at the sight of her son smiling widely. He seemed to be in a very good mood, which she was grateful for, considering he was a little nervous when he'd initially set foot out the door this morning. 

"Good, Mama! We talked about colours and played some games! I know some of my classmates' names already. There's Lucy and Suzi and Hina and Tetsuya and Remi and Charlotte and Sousuke - " 

His mother's laugh stopped him from going on and on (which was quite typical for him to do if nobody stopped him). "How do you like your teacher?" 

"Ou-san is really great! I like him a lot!" 

"I'm glad to hear that, Prompto. Why don't we go inside and have a snack, okay?" she suggested. She'd just made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, knowing those were her son's favourite treat. 

"Okay, mama!" he said happily, holding her hand as they walked into the house. She had just closed the front door behind them when Prompto started talking excitedly again. 

"I made a friend, Mama! Noctis!" he announced with a toothy grin. 

"His name is Noctis?" 

"Yeah, his name is kinda weird," he said, shrugging. "But he's very nice! I met him in recess!" 

"You met him  _at_  recess, Prompto," his mother corrected him.  By the way Prompto sniffed the air with a pleased expression on his face, she knew he could smell the cookies. To her surprise, however, the heavenly scent of chocolate and cookie batter didn't distract him from telling her about the friend he'd made at school. 

" _At_ recess!" he agreed. "And we're gonna play together tomorrow!" he said happily. He was looking forward to recess tomorrow for that very reason. 

"He's my best friend," he added, and his smile softened as he recalled the way Noctis had mentioned that to him. He'd told that boy who had pushed him off the swing  _'He's my best friend and I don't want you to be mean to him.'_

Prompto felt a strange sensation in his chest when he remembered the way Noctis had said it so nonchalantly, and the sensation only grew when he recalled how they'd fallen onto the ground together when Prompto had surprised Noctis with a big hug. 

The feeling was like a little squeeze on his heart, one that kind of tickled! It didn't bother him though; he found that he liked it. 

He climbed into a chair at the kitchen counter and haphazardly tossed his backpack on the floor. His mother took the cookies off of the oven and carefully placed some of the ones that had cooled down onto a plate and set them in front of him. 

Prompto grabbed a cookie eagerly but his mom said, "No, Prompto, what do you have to do first?" 

He stared blankly at her with his mouth open, ready to bite into the soft treat. 

"Before you eat?" she continued. 

"Oh." He dropped the cookie back onto the plate and ran off to the bathroom to wash his hands. 

When he got back, he plopped back onto his chair and started munching on a cookie, some crumbs gathering on the side of his mouth while others fell onto the counter below him. 

"Eat them over the plate, Prompto," his mother reminded him. "Is Noctis in your class?" she asked. 

"No, he's in Suzuki-san's class. I wish he could be in my class. Then he could sit by me!" 

He imagined Noctis sitting at one of the desks beside him, either to the left of Prompto's own desk or to the right. He liked Sousuke and Hina just fine but he'd rather have Noctis fill one of those seats instead. 

Prompto's mother smiled as she listened to him ramble on about his new buddy, of whom he referred to as his 'best friend' more than once. She wasn't surprised that he'd made a friend already what with his friendly, outgoing personality, but at the same time, she knew he'd been anxious about starting first grade at a school that was completely new to him. New experiences often caused him to crawl into his shell, generally making him more shy. She wondered how exactly they'd first started talking to one another. Had Prompto just walked up to a random kid and asked him to be friends? She laughed inwardly. That was certainly something she could picture. 

**April 8**

"Are you sure you’ll be alright taking the bus today?" Regis asked his son with a raise of his eyebrow. 

"Yes," Noctis mumbled in response from his position on the kitchen floor, sticking his sneakers out in front of himself and looking at his father expectantly. 

_He certainly loves these sneakers,_ Regis mused as he knelt down to tie the laces for Noctis. 

Regis had let him choose his own clothing for the most part as soon as he’d taken an interest in doing so. It had been only a few weeks since they’d gone shopping together for new clothing for the upcoming school year, much to Noctis's chagrin. 

He didn't like being dragged along to different stores but he _did_ enjoy picking out his own clothing items, with designs and in colours he preferred. Regis always had him try them on in the changing room to make sure they fit, which was Noctis's least favourite part of the endeavour, but when they left the shop he would always mumble his thanks for the clothes. 

Putting up with some grumbling while they shopped was worth it, because ultimately there would be less complaining, groaning, or tantrums when Noctis got dressed every day versus the alternative - if Regis had picked out clothes for him instead. He liked to think he knew his son well enough that he could pick out clothes he would like, but Noctis really wanted to be in charge of that. 

Presently, however, Noctis frowned at the sight of the jacket he had picked off of one of the few racks that he could reach at the store on one of the aforementioned outings. 

"Not cold," he mumbled. 

His father wasn’t having it, however. "It's cool out this morning, Noctis. Wear your jacket." 

He gave him a trademark pout (which, in actuality, was more of a grumpy, put-out glare than a pout) and took the jacket from his father. It was a light shade of green, with just enough insulation that it could withstand rain or wind without being too warm or bulky - perfect for the spring. 

"Alright. Do you have everything you need?" he asked. 

"Mm-hm," was the quiet reply he received as Noctis carefully stood up from the ground and pointed to his black backpack that was sitting upright against the wall near the front door. 

"You have your lunch?" 

Noctis’s eyes shifted pointedly to his backpack once more, which his father took to mean it was nestled in with his folders and notebooks in his backpack. 

He remembered something as he, too, scanned Noctis’s backpack from afar. "And your keychains, those didn’t fall off, correct? They stayed on all of the school day yesterday?" He’d fastened them as best he could before he’d dropped Noctis off at the school’s entrance yesterday, but he wanted to make sure they’d stayed secure. It was hard to tell if they were when he’d initially hooked the loops onto each other and then placed the largest one around one of the holes in the zippers on his backpack. 

Noctis nodded. "Time for school," he murmured and went to collect his backpack, pulling it up and managing to get his arms through the straps so it hung on his back. 

"Wait a moment, these should be loosened a little," Regis murmured, mostly to himself, as he walked up to his son and adjusted the straps of his backpack so that it rested on his lower back instead of creating more tension around his shoulders. Even if it was light, he wanted Noctis to be as comfortable as possible. 

His son waited patiently as he worked at the straps, standing still in front of him. "How is that?" he asked when he was finished, searching his eyes. 

"Fine," Noctis said, and it was clear he either couldn’t tell the difference or didn’t really care. 

"Alright," Regis sighed, figuring that was as many words as he’d get out of his kid this morning. 

He opened the front door for Noctis and followed closely behind him. "Do you want me to come to the bus stop with you?" he asked calmly, trying not to embarrass his son. 

"No," Noctis grumbled, but he grabbed the chocobo keychain that hung down on the side of him and fiddled with it. 

"Alright."

"Dad."

"Yes, Noctis?"

"Need money."

"Oh, yes," Regis said, fishing around in his pants pockets for the coins he’d placed there this morning, to be prepared to hand them to Noctis for his bus ride to school. 

He handed over the gil and reminded Noctis to give the driver a tip instead of accepting any change he may receive back. 

"Kay."

"Kay," Regis mimicked, pleased at the tiny smile that pulled at his son’s lips. It wasn’t all that easy to receive a smile from Noctis, so when he did, he felt like he was doing something right. 

He checked his watch. "School will be starting soon. You should be able to catch the next bus, it’ll be there in fifteen minutes and it’s only a - "

"Ten minute walk," Noctis finished for him with raised eyebrows. "I remember."

Regis sighed and patted his son on the shoulder. "Right. Go ahead, then. I hope you have another nice day. I’ll be thinking of you," he assured him with a warm smile. His kind eyes took in his little son, who now gripped his coins tightly in one hand while his other hand continued to play with the chocobo keychain. 

"Dad."

"Yes?"

"Love you," he mumbled, ducking his head. 

Regis's smile softened. While he knew his son loved him, he didn’t get the pleasure of hearing the words very often, even when he said them to Noctis first. 

"I love you, too, son."

He watched Noctis head down the driveway with careful, measured steps, still fiddling with the keychains attached to his backpack. 

— ♥ — 

Prompto happily slid into one of the seats at the back of the bus and clicked his heels together as he waited for the bus to start moving again. 

Just a minute passed before they reached another stop, and Prompto was resting his head on the window as a few people stepped onto the bus and paid the driver, so he didn't notice when a familiar face climbed aboard and hovered awkwardly next to Prompto's seat. That is, until he coughed to get his attention. 

The blonde turned towards the noise and his eyes bulged behind his glasses. It was a funny look, so the boy still standing and staring down at him couldn't help but laugh. 

"Noctis!" he squealed and pulled him down quickly beside him. As soon as he did so, the bus started moving once more with a loud engine noise and a screech of tires. 

His companion smiled over at him. "Hi," he murmured with wide eyes. 

Was Prompto always this excitable? Noctis could not relate to his seemingly endless energy. 

"You take the bus, too!" Prompto stated with a huge smile as Noctis removed his backpack from his shoulders and set it between his scrawny legs just as Prompto had done with his own. 

"Yeah," Noctis replied. 

"I didn’t see you yesterday!" Prompto mentioned, completely baffled. Maybe Noctis had been there in the morning and he hadn’t noticed him because he didn’t know him yet, but by the time they became best friends at recess, he would have noticed him sitting there on the ride home for sure! 

"Didn’t take bus yesterday," was the quiet response he received. 

"Why not?" he asked curiously, looking over at Noctis, whose long bangs had fallen in front of his eyes. 

"My dad drived me to school," he replied, hoping his friend wouldn’t ask the reason for that. He had felt embarrassed enough yesterday being dropped off and picked up by his father while the majority of the kids walked home or took the bus; he really didn’t want to explain what had happened yesterday morning when he’d been about to leave for school. 

(Noctis had gotten ready by himself for the most part - though his father had combed his hair that he hadn’t bothered to sort out, knowing full well it would probably just end up getting messy again within an hour or so - and eaten a good breakfast. He’d been talking to his father in his normal morning tone - groggy and more than a little cranky - when Regis had mentioned the time and that he ought to get going to catch the next bus. 

Then Noctis had gone silent, which, while not uncharacteristic of his son, tuned him in to his changed mood and made him realize something wasn’t quite right. He didn’t usually get that quiet so quickly, after all, and Regis was about to ask if he was alright when Noctis dropped his spoon on the dining room table and ran to grab his backpack without pushing his chair in or putting his dishes in the sink. 

Regis sighed, calmly walking over to him and raising a stern eyebrow at the way his son expectantly held his hand out for the money he’d need for the bus ride. He knelt down with the intention of taking the coins out of his pocket and placing them in Noctis’s outstretched hand, but he kept them in his pocket instead, his eyes softening as he took in the subtle misting of his son’s dark eyes. 

"Should we take the car together instead?" he asked, placing his hand on a tiny shoulder. 

Noctis had whimpered and nodded, and by the time he was fastened into his booster seat in the back of the Regalia, his tears had fallen and left little tracks down his pale cheeks. Regis eyed him in the rearview mirror whenever he had a chance, making sure he wasn’t about to have a full-on meltdown on the way to school. 

It really seemed to have helped that Regis was there with him during the short duration of the ride - it gave Noctis time to calm himself down and take a few deep breaths, comforted by the presence of his father in the seat in front of him and the familiarity of the car he’d taken many trips in. 

Regis told him he’d be in the same spot he’d dropped him off in - fifty or so metres from the school so Noctis felt less embarrassed - at the end of the day, and by the way Noctis nodded and quickly made his way to the front entrance of the school, he knew he had recovered and would be just fine.) 

Noctis didn’t want Prompto to think too much of the fact that his father had taken him to school and back home yesterday. Fortunately for him, his friend didn’t seem to stick to one subject for very long. 

"Oh," Prompto said, nodding at the brief explanation. Then he looked at Noct’s backpack. He noticed one zipper in particular that had five keychains all looped together on small silver hoops.  He immediately recognized the fluffy, yellow-feathered bird from his favourite cartoon! 

"A chocobo!" he said excitedly, pointing down at it. 

Noctis followed his finger with his gaze. "Do you watch Road to the Spirit World?" he asked, a small smile forming on his face at the way his friend’s eyes lit up at the sight of the little bird keychain. 

"Yah!" Prompto said happily. "Dozo is my favourite chocobo! Who's your favourite?" 

"Mine's Bozo," Noctis replied. "This is Bozo," he clarified, referring to his keychain. 

"He's cool, too! All your keychains are cool!" he rambled excitedly. 

There were two others Prompto recognized as Pokémon. Noctis told him their names when he asked - Bulbasaur and Sandshrew. He also said he should play the Pokémon games, and when Prompto sheepishly mentioned that he didn't have a Game Boy, Noctis told him he could borrow his and was rewarded with a huge smile and an awkward side-hug. 

Another keychain was the Crunchyroll logo and the final one was a little globe of the world with some tag line Prompto couldn't read. 

"That’s from my dad's work. But I don’t know much English words so I don’t know what it says," Noctis said, shrugging. He supposed he was still learning how to read and write in Japanese, too! But he also thought he could speak and understand Japanese much better than English. 

"My dad's an accounter!" Prompto announced, seemingly moving on to yet another subject already - although maybe he’d just been reminded of his father because Noctis had mentioned his own. 

"What's that mean?"

Prompto blinked at him and thought about it for a moment. "I don't know," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "I think he counts stuff."

That made sense to Noctis, who slowly nodded in acknowledgment. "My dad is a businessman," he recited, as if he’d been practicing in case someone inquired. 

"Wow!" Prompto replied with wide eyes. What a 'businessman' was or what the profession entailed he had no idea, but it sounded pretty cool to him! 

Noctis twirled one of the strings attached to his jacket around his finger. "Purami," he murmured, turning to look at his companion. 

"Huh?" Prompto asked, dumbfounded. Had Noctis forgotten his name? He supposed he was _sorta_ close… 

"I will call you that," he said seriously. "Best friends need special names to call each other," he explained, giving him a significant look. 

"Oh," Prompto said intelligently. 

"Do you like it?"

He nodded furiously. "Yes, Noctis! I really do! It’s the bestest name anyone has called me!"

Truth be told, nobody had ever called him anything other than just 'Prompto' - not even his mom or dad. But maybe that was part of what made it so special. 

His friend smiled at him. "What will you call me?" he asked, but shifted his eyes away from Prompto and looked around the bus and out the opposite window to show that he didn’t have to rush to come up with a nickname. He hadn’t meant to put him on the spot! 

Prompto thought about it while Noctis’s gaze was elsewhere. He tried out different names, whispering them under his breath until the perfect one popped into his head. He loved the way it sounded coming out of his mouth, even in a hushed tone. And it would be easy to remember, too! 

"Nokuto!" he proclaimed with a huge smile that showed off the gap where the one baby tooth had fallen out already. 

The boy beside him grinned and Prompto giggled, knowing he’d chosen well. The fact that Noctis was smiling so widely meant that he approved of the nickname wholeheartedly! 

The bus driver announced over the loudspeaker that they’d arrived at the bus stop nearest the primary school. The kids who had been riding clambered out of their seats excitedly and Prompto followed closely behind Noctis. 

When they got off the bus, the two boys walked up to their school, chattering about this and that along the way (though one of them was doing most of the talking). Prompto was so glad he was learning more about his best friend! 

When they entered the school, they stopped at their respective cubbies to put their jackets away (Prompto's was a bright red colour that Noctis complimented him on). Right as Noctis was about to head into his own classroom, Prompto grabbed his hand. 

"Hey, Nokuto?"

His friend looked over at him with a blank expression. "What?" he asked bluntly, though he didn't remove his hand from Prompto's grip. 

"I’m really glad you’re my best friend!" the little blonde told him with a big smile. 

Noctis blinked. "Me too," he said quietly as Prompto released his hand. He stared at him for another moment and then muttered, "See you at recess," before finally turning away. 

As Prompto watched him walk into Suzuki-san's classroom, his heart did the funny squeezing thing again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can probably tell, this story combines elements of the Japanese school system with that of the American school system. I've also mixed Japanese culture and Western culture. Hopefully I've written it in a way that works and makes sense, but please let me know if anything is confusing. 
> 
> • A randoseru (ランドセル) is a backpack often given to elementary school children in Japan. 
> 
> • 'Road to the Spirit World' is part of the Japanese title of 'Chocobo Racing' which was released for the Playstation in 1999 by Square (日本語: チョコボレーシング 〜幻界へのロード〜). In this AU, however, it is a cartoon that the boys watch. 
> 
> • Nicknames -   
> Purami (プラーミ) "Pu/rā/mi" with emphasis on the 'ah' sound.   
> Nokuto (ノクト) "No/ku/to" (It's essentially the same as "Noct," just pronounced slightly differently. I'll probably be using them interchangeably.) 
> 
> Please let me know what you thought! I'd love to hear from you.


	3. when they wrote their first love letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _First Grade, Part Two._

**April 23**

"Does anyone know what today is?" Ou-san asked his class. 

Prompto raised his hand politely and stood up when he was called upon. 

"Today is Wednesday, April 23rd!" he said cheerfully, glancing at the date written at the top of the chalkboard. Some of the other kids laughed and agreed. 

Ou-san chuckled and nodded his head. "Yes, but April 23rd is a very special day." At the kids' blank stares, he continued - "Lover's Day. It's a day meant for celebrating love. Some people do something special for their partner, their husband, or wife, while others celebrate with a close friend of theirs. You can also show your love to your parent, a sibling, or other family member." 

Everyone was listening intently, some of the boys looking awkwardly around the room and avoiding eye contact with any girls. Prompto heard Charlotte and Remi whispering to each other from a few desks away. The girls giggled behind their hands at the mention of 'husband.' For Prompto’s part, he listened happily, eager to celebrate this holiday. He thought it sounded so sweet! 

"So in the next hour or so, I want each of you to make a card for someone you love. You can say something that you like about them, or express your gratitude towards them… You can write it to your mother or father, your friend, or anyone else you might want to express affection for," Ou-san continued as he wrote across the chalkboard. 

When he was finished, he pointed to the left side of the board. "These are some phrases you may choose to use in your writing. And this is the way I want you to format your letter…" he said as he gestured to the other side of the board where he’d written an example. "You should include the date and address it your loved one, sign with your name at the end of the letter, and make sure you print their name on the envelope, as well." 

Prompto's eyes lit up as he waited for permission to begin the project. He swung his scrawny legs under the desk excitedly, feet hovering just above the carpet. He studied the board carefully, and noted the phrase _'Happy Lover’s Day,'_ thinking he would definitely include that in his card. He wasn’t quite sure what the _‘r’_ meant at the end of _'lover,'_ however. What was a lover? Did it just refer to someone who loved someone else? 

"You may choose how you wish to decorate your card; I have coloured paper, markers, stickers, glue, and scissors, and you can use whatever pens or pencils you may have in your backpacks, as well. If you have any questions or need help, just come see me," Ou-san said with a kind smile at the children. 

As soon as the class was given the go-ahead, Prompto hopped up to the front of the room to gather the necessary supplies. He found he could barely fit all of it in his hands - he wanted to make the coolest, prettiest card for his best friend! 

A sudden thought occurred to him and he turned to Ou-san, who was handing some red construction paper to another student. 

"Excuse me, Ou-san! May I write a letter to someone in a different class?" he asked eagerly, desperately hoping the answer would be yes. 

"Yes, you may. You can give your card out whenever you choose, but you can also place the letter inside their cubby before recess, if perhaps you want to leave it as a little surprise," he smiled. 

Prompto beamed at his teacher and nodded, heading back to his seat and setting down the supplies he'd gathered. He rushed to dump all of his writing utensils out of his pencil case, giggling as they sprinkled across his desk. He then realized he’d forgotten to get stickers when he’d gone up to the front of the classroom a moment ago, so he went up to collect some of those (along with a pair of scissors and some blue glue) and nearly tripped on the leg of his desk as he climbed back into his seat. He couldn’t help his clumsiness; he was just so excited! 

He placed a bunch of stickers around the edges of the paper, leaving room to write, and cut out some hearts with every colour construction paper he had found at the front of the room, gluing them to the base colour of his card - black. 

(Prompto had happily asked Noctis what his favourite colour was on the bus ride to school one day last week. _‘Black,’_ had been his quick response. Prompto actually laughed a little, thinking his friend was joking, but stopped himself upon seeing the serious look on his face. _‘That’s so weird!’_ he’d exclaimed. He thought everyone liked bright colours! It was okay, though. Noctis was different! _‘Wanna know mine?’_ he’d asked him. After a quiet but curious _‘Yeah,’_ Prompto responded ‘ _Blue and purple!’)_

He excitedly picked up a blue marker and started to write the date on the top of the paper just as Ou-san had instructed the students to do, but then he noticed the marker wasn’t showing up well on the black background! So he went to the front of the classroom to collect some white construction paper and then hurried back to his desk, cutting it into a rectangle that would fit inside the card without showing when it was closed. He glued that to the black paper and did the same thing with the other side, making sure to leave some of the black showing so that Noctis could see the card was still technically black on the inside, even though he had to write on white paper. He hoped that was okay! 

Prompto raised his hand and waited for Ou-san to come over to him, glancing down at the letter that he'd already placed many decorations on. "Excuse me, Ou-san," he started politely. "I need help spelling his name." 

His teacher nodded and asked who it was for. Prompto replied quickly, "My best friend! His name's Noctis! He's in Suzuki-san's class and he has black hair and he - " 

Ou-san chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop his rambling. "I know Noctis, yes. Let me find Ms. Suzuki's class list. It has the full names of all of her students." 

He couldn't wait to get going, so he decided to start with Noctis's first name while his teacher went to get Suzuki-san’s class list - he could probably spell that part of his name! He picked up his blue marker again and printed the date at the top of the card, then switched to an orange one and wrote _'Dear Noktis'_ before switching to a red one. 

By the time he had finished writing - looking up now and then to make sure he was formatting his letter correctly - he had messed up quite a few times, but he’d simply crossed out the misspelled words and rewritten them. He was pretty sure everything was spelled correctly now! 

— ♥ — 

As soon as the class was dismissed for recess, Prompto walked quickly to the cubbies surrounding both sides of Suzuki-san's classroom, heading for the one with a large, yellow cardboard star labeled _Lucis Caelum, Noctis_. His cubby was empty except for his light green jacket hanging on the hook. 

Prompto quickly whipped his head over to Suzuki-san’s classroom door, making sure the students weren’t filing out for recess quite yet. When he saw the coast was clear, he stood on his tip toes to gently place the envelope on the small shelf at the top of Noctis’s cubby. 

He then skipped over to Noctis’s classroom, wanting to be right there when his class was dismissed for recess, but Ou-san called for him to come along with their own class instead. 

"Noctis will be out shortly, Prompto," he assured him knowingly and ushered him out the door to the playground. "I’m sure he’ll join you then." 

Prompto pouted but followed his teacher, looking back at Ms. Suzuki's door over his shoulder. When he got outside, he sat crisscross-applesauce on the pavement where he could still see the door to the inside of the school, waiting patiently for Noctis to show up. 

He didn’t have to wait long, however, because Suzuki-san’s students started heading outside about a minute later.  _Mr. Ou was right!_

His best friend was one of the last kids out, and when he saw him (carrying a white container in his hands) he waved vigorously in the air. "Nokuto!" he called, and the boy turned towards him with a small smile, walking over with steady steps in his white sneakers. 

Noctis wasn’t wearing his jacket, even though Suzuki-san had tried to convince him it was a good idea. When she told him it was windy outside, he had countered, _"It’s sunny, too,"_ and his teacher couldn’t really argue with that and let him go ahead with just his black t-shirt. 

"What’s that?" Prompto asked him almost immediately as he eyed the box Noctis held carefully in his hands. 

"Chalk," he answered as he knelt down next to the blonde, setting the container on the ground and pressing on a small lever that opened the lid. 

"Ooh, cool!" Prompto exclaimed, uncrossing his legs and scooting next to Noctis to admire the colours. It was a new set of chalk, so none of the sticks were worn down and they all sat neatly within the box, lined up in groups of colours. 

Prompto turned to look at his friend, wondering what he wanted to draw. Noctis, sensing his eyes on him, stood up to see how much space they were working with. 

A group of girls was huddled together around another box of chalk a little ways away, already starting to draw pictures on the pavement, but it seemed like the boys would have plenty of room for their own. Prompto stood, mimicking Noctis’s movement, and listened as his friend began to speak. 

"I'll do mine here" - Noctis pointed vaguely in front of his shoes and made a circle in the air with his finger indicating the stretch of the pavement he wanted to draw his picture upon - "and you can do yours there," he added quietly, using his left arm to draw another circle in the air that was distinctly further over to the left of the two boys. Prompto nodded, thinking he understood the message -  _Please don't draw over here, this is my space!_  

Noctis leaned down and picked up the box of chalk, offering it out to Prompto. He raised a dark eyebrow expectantly when his friend just stared back at him. 

It appeared that Prompto was waiting for his permission. "Pick some colours," he instructed him. 

The blonde nodded in agreement, looking down at the container Noctis's small, slightly calloused hands gripped tightly and taking out two sticks of chalk - one vibrant purple and the other a light blue. He watched Noctis pick out his own piece of orange chalk and kneel down to get started, sneakers lightly scuffing the pavement as he did so. 

Prompto quickly followed suit and sat on the heels of his battered tennis shoes, just a few steps away from his friend. He stuck out his tongue as he started drawing a swirly design of circles and spirals, switching from purple to blue and back again as he made some larger circles and some smaller swirlies and smiley faces in the midst of them. He didn't have anything particular in mind that he wanted to draw, so he decided to just make it up as he went along. He didn't stop to check how it was turning out, just kept drawing, quietly content with the activity. 

He had to move a little to the left every once in a while, stretching out his bony arm to make a few even wider circles, catching himself when he started to lose balance on his feet as he crouched and applied pressure to the pieces of chalk that he switched between. He made the colours as bright as they could be, going over some of the lighter loops and squiggles he'd already drawn to make them bolder against the dark pavement. He made sure not to get in the way of his best friend as he drew a few metres to the right of him, extremely concentrated on his own drawing. 

Currently, Noctis was standing and inspecting what he'd drawn so far. He did this every few minutes, when he felt the need to check and make sure everything was turning out correctly. 

He frowned at some of the little mistakes he'd made - a line that was crooked or a place where the colours overlapped when they shouldn't. Noctis had intended for this picture to look exactly like his house, but it didn't, and it bothered him. He pouted and tried to fix his mistakes (somewhat uselessly, as the boys didn't have an eraser of any sort). Then he glanced over, for the first time in ten minutes, at Prompto's drawing. 

It was messy and confusing to decipher what exactly it was supposed to be a picture of, and after taking it in with a puzzled expression for a moment or so, all Noctis could really distinguish were the smiley-faces scattered throughout the other lines and loops. The big smiles reminded him of Prompto, which made him happy! 

"Whatcha drawing?" a cheerful voice asked, and Noctis started at how close Prompto was all of a sudden, peering over his shoulder to check out what he'd been so focused on for most of their recess. 

"My house," he muttered under his breath as Prompto took it all in - a large orange outline of a house, with quite a few windows (the ones higher up were squares while the lower windows closer to ground level were more rectangular in shape), a red front door with a tiny yellow knob, a small patch of grass next to the left side of the house, and a thin chimney poking out of the triangular roof, complete with swirling smoke floating up to the bright blue sky Noctis had drawn above it. 

"Wow! You're a good drawer!" Prompto complimented him, noticing four figures standing on the right side of the house on a white driveway (two stick figure people outlined in red and two four-legged creatures, both with bushy tails). "Who are those?" he asked, pointing to the outlines. 

Noctis knelt down in front of his drawing again. "That's me" - he pointed to the smaller person - "that's my dad" - he indicated the taller figure standing beside him - "that's my dog, and that's my other dog" he finished, pointing to the two smaller blobs in turn, one white and one blue (another detail that irked Noctis - there was no black chalk, of course, so he couldn’t draw Umbra accurately). 

"You have dogs?" Prompto asked, mouth hanging open. "Lucky!" 

"Umbra and Pryna," Noctis stated matter-of-factly as he stood up. 

Prompto continued to study Noctis's stick figure family and realized it was missing something. "Where's your mom?" he asked curiously. 

Noctis looked at his feet, shifting his weight back and forth between them. "Don’t have one," he replied quietly. 

Prompto didn't understand. Didn’t everyone have a mom and a dad? 

At the confused look his friend gave him, Noctis knew he had to clarify. "She’s dead," he said with a shrug of his shoulder as if it were no big deal, though his gaze drifted back to the ground. 

"Oh…" Prompto mumbled under his breath, a bit shaken by the blunt response. His stomach felt queasy as he watched his friend shuffle his feet on the pavement, still staring at his drawing with an almost blank stare. Prompto felt very guilty for asking, and he didn't quite know how to respond.  _Dying is sad,_ he thought to himself. He didn’t want Noctis to be sad! 

Noctis's dark bangs had fallen in front of his face and were covering his eyes, at least from where Prompto was standing to the left of him. 

"I am very sorry, Noctis," he spoke with sincerity. "Please don’t be sad," he added, gently poking his cheek. He tried to tuck Noctis's fringe behind his ear but frowned as it fell back down again. 

Noctis sighed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes, tucking them behind his ear successfully. "I’m not sad. I don’t remember her," he said, shrugging again as he finally lifted his gaze off of the ground and looked over at his friend. 

Prompto fidgeted with his sweatshirt strings as Noctis knelt down to pick up a piece of purple chalk. 

"You should add flowers to the garden," he suggested as he handed it over to Prompto, who nodded eagerly, getting to work on adding flowers that would stick out of the grass Noctis had drawn. His friend inspected the process over his shoulder, still standing while Prompto squatted and drew with the chalk. 

The bell rang a few minutes later, and Prompto stood up with Noctis and studied their artwork. "It looks good!" he said, but Noctis frowned. 

"Not done," he mumbled. 

Prompto didn't like the sadness in his voice, so he wrapped his arms around his friend in an attempt to cheer him up. "It's okay, Noctis! We can finish it tomorrow!" he said happily. 

Noctis froze when his friend hugged him. He really appreciated the gesture - and perhaps he should have expected Prompto's hugs by now - but he winced at how tightly he held him. "Ow," he grumbled softly, and his friend quickly released him, stepping back with reddening cheeks. 

"I'm sorry!" he said sincerely, bowing his head shamefully as his lip started to wobble. 

Noctis stared back at him unblinkingly as Prompto's eyes started to water.  _Oh no! Why is he sad?_  he wondered. 

He reached for his best friend and put an arm around his shoulder, holding him very lightly and marveling at how soft his gray sweatshirt was. "It's okay, Purami. It was a accident." 

Prompto brightened up considerably, blinking away the few tears that had gathered in his eyes. He really liked when Noctis called him that! 

"I like your sweatshirt," he said, pulling gently at one of the strings. 

Prompto giggled and leaned into him as he did so.  "Thank you, Noct! I like it, too." 

"Soft," Noctis added as he dropped the arm around his shoulder and continued to play with the string. 

Prompto stared at his friend and from their positions right up against each other, he noticed Noctis was an inch or two taller than him. He could also see his eyes better than he ever had before, which he was very happy about. Prompto thought they were like the night sky, right after the sun had gone down and turned a deep shade of blue before getting darker and darker as the night went on. 

"Your eyes are beautiful," he commented matter-of-factly. When his best friend looked up from the string he was playing with and into his own eyes, the squeezing feeling in Prompto's chest came back. 

Noctis studied him with a somewhat surprised expression for a few seconds before dropping his gaze again. 

"You too," he said. He felt inexplicably embarrassed all of a sudden. His voice had been just loud enough that he was sure his friend could hear him, but no louder. He truly meant the words but found himself incapable of speaking them in any way other than a quiet murmur under his breath. 

"Uh-oh!" Prompto exclaimed suddenly, and Noctis looked at him, startled by the shout. Prompto pointed at the lines about to head inside. 

Noctis frowned. He'd rather stay and finish his drawing. Prompto didn't seem to mind waiting to finish their chalk house (and garden) tomorrow, but Noctis really wanted to complete it _now_... 

He didn't want to be scolded for holding everyone up, however, so he murmured a grumpy  _'Yeah'_ and dropped his green chalk, watching it roll across the pavement steadily until it met up with Prompto's purple one, finally halting as it joined its friend. 

Then he decided he should put every piece back in its place in the white container Suzuki-san had lent him, so he leaned down and gathered all of the scattered pieces and lined them up carefully in the box according to their colour, just as they had initially been organized. 

While Noctis cleaned up, Prompto turned to the girls from his class that were making their own chalk drawings on the stretch of the pavement that was further away from the doors. He called out to them - _'Come on, let's go so we don't get in trouble with Ou-san!'_ and they looked up at him with wide eyes and quickly packed up their chalk, following the boys over to the class lines. 

Noctis stayed by Prompto's side until he had to go stand by his own class. Their class lines were next to each other once again! 

"Next time, more hustle, you three," was all Mr. Ou said to address Prompto, Lucy, and Suzi's tardiness. 

Suzuki-san said nothing to scold Noctis, as she'd been observing the boys just a moment before and had seen them comforting one another. Plus, they'd only been a minute or so late from when the bell rang, so she let it slide. She guessed the reassuring hugs they'd given each other had something to do with their chalk drawings, but who knew? These two seemed to be quite sensitive, particularly Prompto, at least from what she'd seen at recesses; he wasn't her student, after all. Or maybe he was just wore his heart on his sleeve, while Noctis tended to be shyer about his emotions. 

Prompto suddenly remembered something he wanted to tell Noctis and quickly turned to him as his line started moving. "Check your cubby, Noct!" he called out to him as he followed his classmates into the school. 

Noctis blinked. Even though he was a little confused at the request, he nodded anyway. He pretty much always just went along with what Prompto said because he knew it would make him happy. 

Sure enough, just by his small nod in acknowledgment, Prompto's face lit up and he grinned widely. 

Noctis thought his smile was very cute! Maybe it was the missing tooth? 

He was excited to check his cubby. No matter what was in it, when he and Prompto walked to the bus stop together, he'd be able to tell him that he'd looked in there just like he'd told him to, and then he'd be able to see his smile again! 

Ms. Suzuki let her students stop at their cubbies after recess so they could put away their jackets before they continued their learning. 

When Noctis peered inside his cubby, he didn't see anything at all right away. But when he stood on his tip toes to inspect the top shelf, he saw a small white envelope sitting on top of the shelf that hadn’t been there when he’d first arrived at school that day. 

This must be from Prompto! 

He pulled it out and read his name that had been printed in big, black letters - it hardly fit on the envelope! (It seemed Prompto had run out of room for _Caelum_ and squeezed it in along the side of the envelope.) 

He walked over to Ms. Suzuki, who was waiting at the classroom door for the kids to finish up and file in, and asked if he could open it now. She smiled and told Noctis he’d have to wait until the end of the school day. 

Noctis said nothing, but held it tightly in his hands as he walked into the classroom and sat down at his desk. After he took out his math workbook and pencil from his backpack, he very carefully placed the letter in a folder so it wouldn’t get crinkled. He smiled as he zipped up his bag. He couldn’t wait to read it! 

— ♥ — 

When the bell rang at three o' clock, Suzuki-san’s students scrambled to get out of their seats as fast as possible. All of them, that is, except for Noctis, who calmly opened his backpack, put his supplies away, and then reached for his folder, taking it out briefly to remove the envelope before putting it back where it had been. 

He felt a little upset that in order to open the envelope, he might have to tear off a part of the shiny orange sticker that held the flap down. It was a sun that smiled up at Noctis as he opened the envelope as carefully as possible. He sighed in relief when he managed to do so without breaking any part of the sticker. 

Inside was a black card that Noctis meticulously unfolded. He was thoroughly impressed by the writing that was done in various markers and pens, the multi-coloured hearts pasted all around the card (though some glue was peeking out from behind them), the star, sun, and dinosaur stickers, and a few small drawings - one was of a boy with black hair and bangs, while another was of a boy with slightly shorter blonde hair. The third drawing (near the bottom of the letter, right next to Prompto's signature) was what made Noctis’s heart beat faster in delight: the same two boys, this time standing very close together, holding hands. 

He could feel a wide smile stretching across his lips as he began to read the messy scrawl. 

> _2003 April 23_
> 
> _Dear_ ~~ _Noktis,_~~ _Noctis,_
> 
> _Happy lover’s day!!_
> 
> _I dont know what lover means relly but Ou-san told us to right a letter to_ ~~ _somebuddy_~~ _somebody we love so I picked you_   ~~ _becuse_~~ _because I love you a lot! And your relly cool!_
> 
> _Best friends forever!!!!_
> 
> ~~ _sensirly,_~~ _sincerely, Prompto Argentum :D_
> 
> _Ps see you at resess! ~~Achally~~  Actually your prolly reading this after resess! I bet we had fun and I will see you after scool! _

— ♥ — 

Prompto waited patiently just outside the front door of the school for Noctis, who came out about ten minutes later than everyone else had. 

Noctis walked over to him with a small smile on his face before his gaze dropped quickly back to the ground. 

"Where were you?" Prompto asked, chipper as always. Noctis barely glanced at the blonde at all as he shrugged his shoulders and said nothing. 

Prompto chattered away like he always did as they walked down to the bus stop together, but he noticed that his best friend had very few things to say in response. That wasn’t out of character, really, but he seemed even more subdued than usual. Plus, whenever Prompto looked over at him to see his reaction to one of his stories, he dropped his gaze right away and let his bangs hide his eyes. 

Right before they climbed aboard the bus, Prompto lightly nudged Noctis’s shoulder with his own. "Nokuto? Are you okay?"

His companion finally tore his gaze from his sneakers and looked up at him. Though he wasn’t sure why Noctis’s cheeks were pinker than usual, Prompto thought he looked very pretty! 

Noctis gave him a quiet reply, just a simple _‘Yes,’_ and the tiny smile that met his eyes assured Prompto he truly _was_ just fine. He was glad Noctis was alright! 

During their bus ride, Prompto was pleased that Noctis seemed to be talking more, responding with a little more enthusiasm, and meeting his eyes once again. He didn’t understand the change, but he accepted it happily. 

They both got off at Noctis’s stop this time, thanking the bus driver as they walked down the big steps. (Prompto’s mother had agreed that on the days she got home early from work, she could pick him up from there if he wanted to stay with his friend a little longer before Noctis had to walk home. She was trying to find time in her schedule to invite Noctis and his family over for dinner so they could all become acquainted with one another.) 

Noctis mumbled _'Wait'_ under his breath just in case Prompto’s mom pulled up - she could be here any minute and he would have to go home. Prompto glanced curiously at his friend as he set his randoseru on the pavement. 

He unzipped it with concentration before taking out a black folder and opening it up slowly. With even greater care than he had sifted through any other materials in his backpack, he took out a folded piece of notebook paper, clutching onto it as if it would fly away should he let go. 

"Can you help me please?" he asked his friend, and Prompto rushed to do just that. 

He took the black folder from him and placed it exactly where Noctis instructed him to, before zipping up his backpack, listening to the pleasant jingle of his keychains as he did so. He stood up, holding Noct’s backpack in his hands. It was a little lighter than his own, he observed. 

"Thanks," his friend said quietly as he also stood, still gripping the folded piece of paper tightly. Prompto nodded happily in response. 

Noctis held the paper out in front of him, avoiding eye contact once again as he muttered, "For you." 

Prompto took it in his left hand while Noctis grabbed his backpack from Prompto’s right hand, quickly securing it over his shoulders once more. 

"I got your card, Purami. I really like it," he said shyly, peering through his bangs to see Prompto's cute smile before he mumbled, _‘See ya,’_ and moved faster than Prompto had ever seen him move before, making his way down the street to his house. 

"Bye, Noct!" he called after him, but his friend didn't turn back around. He briefly wondered if something was wrong before writing the idea off; Noctis hadn't seemed upset, after all, just in a bit of a hurry. 

He looked down at the piece of flimsy, wide-ruled paper and unfolded it eagerly. 

There were no decorations or embellishments within the card; nothing fancy about it, and yet Prompto could tell just by looking at how straight the letters were and how perfectly aligned with each line of the paper the words were how much effort Noctis must have put into it. And every neat letter he had written alternated between blue and purple pen.  _He remembered my favourite colours!_ he thought happily. 

After Prompto read the letter he placed it to his heart, overjoyed with the few kind words that made his cheeks hurt with his smile and his eyes water with emotion. He idly wondered if, when he wrote it, Noctis had known how much this letter would mean to him. 

Though he loved talking to his mother about his best friend and the fun things they did together at recess, Prompto decided to keep this card a secret, something that would only be shared between the two of them. He was already thinking of a good place on his desk in his room where he could display it to cheer himself up or just to read it whenever he wanted! 

He read the letter again and blinked back a few happy tears. When his mom pulled up a moment later, he gently folded the paper back up again and tucked it into his sweatshirt pocket until he got home and put it in a safe, special place. 

> _2003 April 23_
> 
> _to Prompto Argentum -_
> 
> _Hello, happy lovers day to my best frend (thats you)_
> 
> _yor the best. i love you_
> 
> _from, Noctis Lucis Caelum_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh they are just the sweetest boys ♥


End file.
